8:00am to Maynooth situation post Jan 18th

[Mark Hennessy]

As usual IE have managed to inconvenience many people with the new timetable with zero warning or consultation.

http://73man.blogspot.com/

I know they want to move to a 2 hourly service to Sligo but as usual existing customers are a mere afterthought to good old IE.

I guess its best that they learn at the earliest stage that only a car will get you about this country anyway

[ThomasJ]

From mid-January, this train will no longer stop (or is no longer running to Sligo) at Maynooth leaving commuters with a train that takes twice as long from Connolly to Maynooth and will get you to Maynooth at (stay with me here) 7.48am or 9am

Bearig in mind passengers from the stations between connolly and maynooth are used to this, it is a disgrace that a major university in ireland hasn't got a train service that arrives there between the hours of 8am and 9am.

Heres a thought

At the moment the 7.22AM Maynooth Connolly arrives in Connolly at around 8am and runs out empty at 8.10am via the Midland line arriving in Maynooth around 8.30am-8.35am to form the 8.40am Maynooth-Connolly. Rather than running out empty, why can't it take passengers non-stop to Maynooth allbeit with one extra station, Clonsilla?

The reason why I am saying just Clonsilla is it gives passengers of all the other stations a connecting point at clonsilla so passengers between broombridge and clonsilla can take the 07.45 Docklands Clonsilla to Clonsilla and change there to take that train to Maynooth. Also Leixlip passengers can take the inbound trains to clonsilla to make connections.

Benefits: Non-stop service to Maynooth except clonsilla, Stations on the Maynooth line have a connecting point, the train still arrives on time for the 08.40 Maynooth Connolly.

Any thoughts?

[zag]

Aaah, that's called clever timetabling. Sure, that would never work here. It would be bound to interfere with someones tea break time or something and would involve large amounts of disturbance money so it will never happen.

Seriously though, it sounds like a good, workable plan. Hopefully someone in IE is listening/watching and it happens. Increased revenue, increased customer satisfaction, new customers, train going there empty anyway . . . I'm sure they'll think of a reason not to do it.

z

[Mark Gleeson]

Best approach would be to extend the current 6:00 from Gorey running via Midland line first stop Ashtown, skip Phoenix Park all stops to Maynooth it would arrive at 8:30, then cancel the empty 8:08 Connolly Maynooth, it has to run non stop to make the time in Maynooth

[ThomasJ]

Thats an even better idea mark! It is a disgrace that nothing is being done about this if there is anything that students should be protesting about its this!!!! Could you imagine the uproar if this was to happen in Trinity.

[Eoin Murray]

We've set up an online petition to gain support for our campaign to estore the 8am Dublin-Maynooth fast train (which continues on to Sligo. we don't want to interrupt improvements to the Sligo line just to make sure that Maynooth commuters can get to work before 9am.

Please sign up. As I write over 560 people have signed.
http://www.petitiononline.com/8amtrain/petition.html

[Mark Hennessy]

Hi Eoin,

We are aware of the impact the new timetable will have on staff and students in NUIM.

[KSW]

Originally Posted by Eoin Murray

Campaign to estore the 8am Dublin-Maynooth fast train which continues on to Sligo. we don't want to interrupt improvements to the Sligo line just to make sure that Maynooth commuters can get to work before 9am.

Hi Eoin, I hope your campaign follows through nicely,

I mean this in the nicest way possible but Sligo line customers have waited a long time to get where it is now. I 100% agree with you guys IE should have informed the public of its changes to Maynooth on the 8am service. I cant see why the current Gorey/Sligo train can't continue as far as Maynooth at 8am with its direct service Connolly/Maynooth instead of terminating at Connolly. The question I have is if the 8am Connolly/Maynooth did go ahead what would its situation be from Maynooth/Connolly or to Pearse, Would it be in the way of an incoming train from Longford or Sligo. If the 8am Connolly/Maynooth was to terminate at Maynooth could it stand at the platform not in the way of trains going to Maynooth or Sligo.

I am not with IE on this so I really do hope the 8am will be operating.
Good Luck

[Rashers]

Barry Kenny was on the George Hook Newstalk show tonight, and said a service at 08.05am to Maynooth would run. Think it is a fast one.
Check out the podcast from the newstalk webpage for the show.

[Mark Gleeson]

It certainly wont be at 8:05, if its going to run it will be at 8:08

Yet again they goof it up, fairly clear the loss of the 8:00 opened up a massive gap between trains outbound to Maynooth which would cause trouble

Of course given we have publicly stated the existence of a existing empty train at 8:08 IE have little choice but to give in

[James Shields]

Perhaps it will be the 8:05, departing at 8:08, a bit like the 11:05 departing at 11:08 we were on yesterday.

[Mark Gleeson]

As usual sneaky Irish Rail haven't said anything but there is now magically a 8:08 Connolly non stop to Maynooth arriving 8:31 (not 8:30)

Funny that given we wrote to the manager in change Jan 3rd highlighting the fact IE where running empty trains in the rush hour to Maynooth

Irish Rail have however failed to add a stop at Clonsilla as we requested to form a connection off the 7:45 from Docklands but curiously the arrival time in Maynooth is given as 8:31, whereas the internal timetable always stated 8:30

Curiously it appears that we where all dreaming and its being running since December

Runs every Monday to Friday from 10 December until 9 December; except 25-26 December; 1 January.

[ThomasJ]

That is good news. Pitty though about not getting the Clonsilla Connection. It would have helped alot more people.

[ThomasJ]

From The Irish rail press release on the new Sligo/maynooth timetable next week

http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/...ew&news_id=322

Furthermore, Iarnód Éireann will also operate an additional 07.30hrs service from Connolly Station, serving all stations to Maynooth, and an 08.08hrs non-stop service from Connolly to Maynooth, in response to demand from students and staff at NUI Maynooth.

[Mark Gleeson]

Both extra trains where running anyway and doing so empty, IE got caught when people figured that out

[Colm Moore]

All stations Connolly - Maynooth have seem to only a single timetable at the entrance at the moment. Nothing on platforms.

[ThomasJ]

It's normally like that unfortunately one timetable outside, one in the station and no other information.

The funny thing is, I get the feeling that the Platform Information screens (PIS) might be up shortly. When you travel past the Phoenix Park station teh PIS screens are up and running but they are following the Heuston Station format and not the DART. So maybe that is how they are going to get them up and running?

The Display looks something like

18:30 MAYNOOTH
On time, calling at

[Colm Moore]

Castleknock currently has " Final test 22 February" displaying on the platforms. I passed Phoenix Park at speed, so while they were working, I couldn't read the taxt.